Means for enhancing and reinforcing the tones emitted by a musical instrument having a resonance chamber



MEANS FOR ENHANCING AND REINFORCING THE TONES EMITTED BY A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT HAVING A RESONANCE CHAMBER Filed 001;. 1, 1965 April 18, 1967 w M 3,314,324

JOHN WILLIAMS INVENTOR LFIGES J ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,314,324 MEANS FOR ENHANCING AND REINFORCING THE TONES EMIT'IED BY A MUSICAL INSTRU- MENT HAVING A RESONANCE CHAMBER John Williams, 50 Beacon Ave., Jersey City, NJ. 07306 Filed Oct. 1, 1965, Ser. No. 491,973 9 Claims. (Cl. 84294) This invention relates generally to string type musical instruments with a resonance chamber and more particularly to a means for enhancing and reinforcing the tones emitted by such instruments.

It is known to alter and amplify the tones of string type musical instruments by the use of electronic and electrical amplifying devices.

However, these amplifying devices are expensive, require special attachments and controls to obtain optimum operating results and impart unnatural qualities to the resultant tone.

The present invention covers a simple mechanical expedient for increasing the resonance and for reinforcing the tones emitted from a string type musical instrument having a resonance chamber or sound box, which mechan ical expedient or device is adapted to be detachably connected to the resonance chamber or sound box or is initially formed as an integral part of the resonance chamber or sound box during manufacture.

Thus, the present invention covers a resonating assembly for a string type musical instrument having a resonance chamber which includes, a substantially large relatively thin resonating plate disposed to permit one end to be positioned for contact adjacent one end of the resonance chamber so that the strings of the musical instrument can traverse the plate and pass over a bridge or support for the strings on the plate substantially in the plane of the point of contact; the greater portion of the resonating plate being cantilevered or extended across the outer face or belly of the resonance chamber to coact therewith; and adjustment means being provided to vary .the operative effect of the resonating plate to obtain the desired tonal effects.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a simple mechanical resonating assembly for attachment to the resonance chamber of string type musical instruments.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved resonance chamber or sounding box for a string type musical instrument.

These objects and advantages as well as other objects and advantages may be achieved by the invention in the forms as hereinafter described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view broken away partly in section of a string type musical instrument with the invention positioned for contact with the outer face or belly of the resonance chamber;

FIGURE 2 is a partial vertical section taken on line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the resonating assembly of the present invention as shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is an end view of the resonating assembly of the present invention as shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is an exploded perspective view of the elements of the resonating assembly of the present invention as shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view broken away partly in section of a string type musical instrument with the present invention connected to provide an improved resonance chamber or sound box for the musical instru ment;

3,314,324 Patented Apr. 18, 1967 ice FIGURE 7 is a partial vertical section taken on line 77 of FIGURE 6.

Referring to the drawings, FIGURE 1 shows the form of the present invention wherein the resonating assembly is adjustably and detachably positioned on the resonance chamber or sound box 1 of a string type musical instrument such as a guitar generally designated G.

Guitars are particularly adapted for the present invention and in the form of the invention shown in FIGURE 6 to illustrate another form of the present invention a different type guitar is utilized as is hereinafter described.

It will however be understood by those skilled in the art that while guitars are utilized to illustrate the present invention that the invention can be applied to any resonance chamber where they form part of other string type musical instruments or any string operated devices.

Thus, referring to the drawings, the guitar G in FIG- URE 1 as shown include the resonance chamber or sound box 1 having a sound emitting opening 2 on the outer face or belly 3 thereof.

An elongated fretted neck or fingering board 4 is connected at one end to an end of the resonance chamber 1 and extends as at 5 inwardly along the medial line thereof.

At the end remote from the connected end, the fretted neck 4 is provided with a peg support head 6 in which a plurality of string tensioning pegs 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d, 7e and 7 f are mounted.

At the end of the resonance chamber or sound box 1 remote from the end connected to the fretted neck 4 is a string attaching plate 8 also affixed in the medial line of the. resonance chamber 1 so that the string element 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d, 92 and 9] connected thereto can be strung to pass across the outer face 3 of the resonance chamber 1, the fretted neck 4 to the tensioning pegs 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d, 7 e and 7 1 respectively.

In conventional guitars, the strings will be held out of contact with the resonance chamber by a bridge member (not shown) and when the guitar is strummed the strings transmit vibrations through the bridge to the resonance chamber which resonance chamber in turn reproduces the tones in accordance with the characteristics of the instrument, the tuning of the strings and the conditions, if any, fingered by the person playing the guitar.

In the present invention, the conventional bridge is replaced by a resonating assembly generally designated RA which not only acts to maintain the strings out of contact with the outer face 3 of the resonance chamber or sound box 1 and to transmit the vibrations of the strings to the resonance chamber but further because of the relative size and the thickness of its resonating plate 10, its relative place-ment and coaction with the outer face or belly 3 of the resonance chamber 1 acts to increase the resonance and rein-force either all or a derivative portion of the tones emitted by the resonance chamber of the guitar or the particular musical instrument to which it is attached.

Resonating assembly The resonating assembly RA shown in FIGURES 1 to 5 of the drawings is held in firm contact with the outer face 3 of resonance chamber 1.

The resonating plate 10 shown in detail in FIGURES 3, 4 and 5, is a relatively thin metal plate having a gauge which can range from 0.3125 to 0.1875 of an inch, is irregular in shape and has a substantial area generally about /2 the area of the adjacent outer face or belly 4 of the resonance chamber or sound box 1 of the musical instrument.

While resonating plate 10 has been designated as a metal plate having the indicated gauge limits, it is clear that any type material or materials which can be connected together; which will provide the desired vibrations and transmission of vibrations may be utilized in this resonating assembly.

The gauge limits above specified vary the tonal effect, the thinner the gauge of the plate 10, the higher the pitch of the final audible tone and the heavier the gauge the lower the pitch of the audible tone.

The area of the plate can be adjusted with the character of the plate selected with respect to material, construction and thickness, so as to provide optimum results.

Since the relative relation of the resonating plate 10 to the outer face 4 of the resonance chamber or sound box 1 produces the advantageous results of the present invention, it is necessary to bring these elements into optimum adjustment relative to each other and to the strings which will now traverse the outer face of the resonating plate 10 rather than the outer face 4 of the resonance chamber 1.

For this purpose a spacing assembly generally designated 11 and an adjusting assembly generally designated 12 are shown in FIGURES 2, 4 and of the drawings.

Spacing assembly Threadably mounted and extending through the resonating plate 10, adjacent one end thereof are a pair of spaced support members 13 and 14.

At the end of the threaded support members 13 and 14 on the underside of the plate are bearing pads or feet 15 and 16. And at the end remote thereafter on the outer or upper face of the plate 10 thumbscrews 17 and 18 are provided for a two fold purpose first, to pro vide means to adjust the spacing assembly so as to position the pads 15 and 16, the predetermined or desired spaced distance from the outer face 4 of the resonance chamber 1 and second to hold the string guard 19 in assembled position for purposes to be described more fully hereinafter.

The two support members 13 and 1 4 can be threaded individually or jointly and spacing of the plate in the vertical plane and about the horizontal axis of the plate can be effected for the desired operating adjustment.

The strings 9a, 9b, 9c, 90', 9e and 9f coact with this spacing assembly 11 in that they pass across the bridge means 20 which is affixed to the outer or upper face of the resonating plate '10 by any suitable means such as threaded members 21 substantially in the vertical plane of the spacing assembly 11, and exert a constant downward force against the bridge means 20 which therefor holds the pads 15 and 16 in intimate contact with the outer face 4 of the resonance chamber 1.

However, it will be noted that the bridge means 20 is not exactly in the vertical plane of contact hence the remaining and greater portion of the plate cantilevers or extends across the outer face 4 of the resonance chamber 1.

Since it is necessary to maintain the strings out of contact with the resonating plate 10 and the plate out of contact with the outer face or belly 4 of the resonance chamber 1, a further adjustment means 12 is provided on the side of the bridge means 21 remote from the spacing assembly 11 and the cantilevered portion of the resonating plate 10.

Adjusting assembly The adjusting assembly 12 shown in the form of the invention illustrated in FIGURES 1 to 5 of the drawings consists of adjusting screws 25 and 26 rotatably and swivelably mounted at one end in spaced relation on an adjusting plate 27 disposed adjacent the underside or lower face of the resonating plate 10. The screws 25 and 26 are threadably mounted in and extend through spaced threaded bores 28 and 29 in the end of the resonating plate 10 on the side of the bridge means 20 remote from the spacing assembly 11 to receive the knurled adjusting nuts 39 and 31' Which provide means to thread the adjusting screws 25 and 26 individually or jointly so as to adjust the horizontal or vertical adjustment of the resonating plate 10 and hence the bridge means 20 and the strings 9a, 9b etc., thereon.

Locking means 32 and 33 are provided to hold the adjusting screws 25 and 26 in adjusted position merely by manually threading the respective locking members 25 and 26 into abutment with the lower or underside of the resonating plate 10.

Thus, in the form of the invention shown in FIGURES 1 to 5 the strings 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d, 92, and 9 will be stretched from the string attachings plate 8 across the bridge 20, plate 10 and fretted neck 4 to the associated string tensioning peg 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d, 7e and 7 which last mentioned elements are manually turned until they tension the respective strings.

When the strings are pulled up to tension they exert suificient force against the bridge means 20 to permit the spacing assembly 11 and the adjusting assembly 12 to be regulated for the desired operating conditions.

The strings are next tuned and then the instrument can 'be played.

Vibrations from the strings are transmitted through the resonating assembly RA to the resonance chamber 1.

It is clear that if the resonating plate 10 is vibrated at either the frequency of the tone transmitted or emitted by the resonance chamber 1 or the harmonic of the tone that the frequencies will act together because of the relatively close positions of the resonating plate 10 and the outer face 4 of the resonance chamber 1 and thus, advantageous results of the present invention are obtained.

In FIGURE 1, the end of the resonating plate 10 adjacent the portion 5 of the fretted neck 4 is cut out as at 35 so that it fits about the fretted neck 4 without making contact therewith.

FIGURE 1 also shows that the resonating plate 10 is provided with a plurality of slotted openings 36a, 36b, 36c, 36d and has a harp like shape which also matches somewhat the curvature of the resonance chamber of the guitar. The openings and the shape are provided primarily for a pleasant configuration.

The slotted openings could, of course, be used secondarily to adjust the mass of the resonating plate 10 and the configuration the area as the case might require for the material from which the plate is made.

And in FIGURE 1, it is believed clearly shown that the string guard 19 acts to protect the players clothing and arm from the strings and the bridge means 20 and at the same time prevents interference with transmission of the string vibrations through the bridge and the entire resonating assembly.

Improved resonance chamber In FIGURES 1 to 5 the invention is described in its preferred form as an adapter to be inserted in place of a conventional bridge on a string type musical instrument.

Alternatively, the resonating assembly can be aifixed or constructed integrally with the outer face 4 of the resonating chamber 1 and the mounting of the strings provided all as clearly shown in FIGURES 6 and 7 .and more fully described hereinafter.

In this form of the invention an improved resonance chamber is established as distinguished from the adapter form of the invention above described.

It is particularly adaptable to the type of guitar where the string connecting 0r attaching means are located at an intermediate point on the outer face of the resonance chamber.

In the manufacture of this last mentioned guitar, the conventional bridge and string connecting means are replaced with a form of resonating assembly similar to that above described but modified to permit the plate to be afiixed and adjustably positioned to the optimum or desired spaced relation with the outer face of the resonance chamber.

Thus, in FIGURES 6 and 7 the modified resonating assembly MRA includes the resonating plate 110 having a spacing assembly 111 and an adjusting assembly 112.

The adjusting assembly, however, differs in that instead of an adjusting plate the supporting screws 125 and 126 (not shown) extend through the outer face 104 of the resonance chamber 101 of the guitar 6 illustrated.

The supporting screws 125 and 126 (not shown) are held in assembled position by suitable means such as threaded nuts 127 and 128 (not shown).

Locking members 129 and 130 will act to lock the resonating plate 110 in assembled position.

The adjusting assembly 112 coacts with the spacing assembly 111 in the same manner as above described for the form of the invention shown in FIGURES l to of the drawings.

The resonating assembly MRA otherwise differs from the resonating assembly shown in FIGURES 1 to 5 in that it includes string attaching openings 1080, 108b, 1080, 108d, 1680 and 108 on the end of the resonating plate 110 remote from the tension pegs, and the string guard 11h is more extended to provide better protection and prevent interference with the operating of the resonating assembly.

In assembled position, this form of the invention is adjusted and operates identical to the manner described for the form of the invention shown in FIGURES 1 to 5 and will produce an improved resonance chamber having the same advantageous results.

The foregoing description is merely intended to illustrate an embodiment of the invention. The component parts have been shown and described. They each may have substitutes which may perform a substantially similar function. Such substitutes may be known as proper substitutes for the said components and may have actually been known or invented before the present invention. These substitutes are contemplated as being within the scope of the appended claims, although they are not specifically catalogued herein.

What is claimed:

1. In a string type musical instrument having a resonance chamber the combination with said resonance chamber of,

(a) a relatively thin resonating plate of substantial area,

(b) connecting means on said plate to dispose said plate in cantilevered and spaced relation to the outer surface of said resonance chamber and to transmit the vibration from the strings of the instrument thereto,

(c) and adjustment means formed on said plate a spaced distance from said connecting means to permit adjustable positioning of the resonating plate relative the string of said musical instrument and to obtain optimum enhancement and reinforcement of the tones emitted by said resonance chamber.

2. In the combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein said resonating plate is made of a material which vibrates easily and has a thickness consonant with the desired vibratory action required.

3. In the combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein the area of the resonating plate is approximately one-half /2) the area of the outer face of the resonance chamber.

4. In the combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein the connecting means includes,

(a) :a spacing assembly to adjustably position the resonating plate relative the outer face of the resonance chamber.

(b) and bridge means to receive the strings of the instrument thereacross and to exert a downward force to maintain said resonating plate in assembled position.

5. In the combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein the adjustment means includes,

(a) a pair of spaced threaded elements connected to said resonating plate on the side of said connecting means remote from the cantilevered portion of the resonating plate,

(b) and means to adjust said spaced threaded elements.

6. A resonating assembly for a string type musical instrument having a resonance chamber comprising,

(a) a relative thin resonating plate of substantial area,

(b) means to afiix said plate in cantilevered position relative the outer face of said resonance chamber,

(c) and means to adjustably position the resonating plate to maintain the strings of the musical instrument, the resonating plate and the outer face of the resonance plate out of engagement with each and for the desired effects of the resonating assembly on the tones emitted by said resonance chamber.

7. In a resonating and amplifying assembly as claimed in claim 6 wherein said affixing means is adjustable to space said resonating and amplifying plate a predetermined spaced distance from the outer face of the sounding box.

8. In a resonating and amplifying assembly as claimed in claim 7 wherein the adjustment means is disposed on the side of the affixing means remote from the portion of the plate c-oacting with the sound emitting opening.

9. In a resonating and amplifying assembly as claimed in claim 8 wherein said adjustment means is provided with locking means to hold the plate in adjusted position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,233,495 2/1966 Bernardi 84-294 RICHARD B. WILKINSON, Primary Examiner.

CHARLES M. OVERBEY, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A STRING TYPE MUSICAL INSTRUMENT HAVING A RESONANCE CHAMBER THE COMBINATION WITH SAID RESONANCE CHAMBER OF, (A) A RELATIVELY THIN RESONATING PLATE OF SUBSTANTIAL AREA, (B) CONNECTING MEANS ON SAID PLATE TO DISPOSE SAID PLATE IN CANTILEVERED AND SPACED RELATION TO THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID RESONANCE CHAMBER AND TO TRANSMIT THE VIBRATION FROM THE STRINGS OF THE INSTRUMENT THERETO, (C) AND ADJUSTMENT MEANS FORMED ON SAID PLATE A SPACED DISTANCE FROM SAID CONNECTING MEANS TO PERMIT ADJUSTABLE POSITIONING OF THE RESONATING PLATE RELATIVE THE STRING OF SAID MUSICAL INSTRUMENT AND TO OBTAIN OPTIMUM ENCHANCEMENT AND REINFORCEMENT OF THE TONES EMITTED BY SAID RESONANCE CHAMBER. 